Election leaves Energy and Commerce members rattled - Bilbray, Bono Mack, Lungren still too close to call - Cabinet changes coming - Who will take over from Stearns?

THE MORNING AFTER THE MORNING AFTER: Tuesday’s election results rattled members of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, leaving the careers of GOP Reps. Mary Bono Mack and Brian Bilbray hanging by threads while throwing the biggest scare in decades at ranking Democrat Henry Waxman. Voters sent packing Rep. Charlie Bass (R-N.H.), who joined Bilbray as the only Republicans on the panel to vote against the so-called “No More Solyndras Act.” Tuesday wasn’t a loss for all of the committee’s party crashers. The victors included Democrats Jim Matheson of Utah — who defeated rising GOP star Mia Love — and John Barrow of Georgia. Darren Goode and your morning host take a look: http://politico.pro/TuSyG8

LAST CALL: As of early this morning neither Bilbray’s nor Bono Mack’s race had been officially called. Despite being down several thousand votes with all precincts reporting and saying Wednesday she believed Democrat Raul Ruiz likely had the momentum to win, Bono Mack declined last night to concede. Bono Mack is waiting for uncounted votes such as mail-in and provisional ballots to be tallied before she will concede. The Los Angeles Times has more: http://lat.ms/Z1Gf9X

Also awaiting the results of uncounted ballots is Bilbray, who was trailing Democrat Scott Peters by about 685 votes last night. “This race is far from over,” Bilbray campaign manager Patrick Howell said. CNS News: http://bit.ly/TMkREl. The race between California Republican Dan Lungren and challenger Ami Bera is similarly held up. Lungren was one of the House members targeted for defeat by the League of Conservation Voters, and as of last night was trailing Bera by less than 200 votes.

Oh, Florida: Al Gore may have called Florida for Obama on election night, but election officials are still tallying — you guessed it — absentee ballots. The Tampa Bay Times has more from the Sunshine State: http://bit.ly/SD2r69

SCRAMBLING FOR THE SCIENCE GAVEL: Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) wants to take over the House Science Committee from the term-limited Rep. Ralph Hall. “The committee requires strong and effective leadership, and I want to bring my experience and proven record of legislative success to the committee,” he said. Sensenbrenner, who is vice chairman of the committee, apparently wants to use the pulpit to come down hard on the Obama administration, which he says has “has shown its willingness to manipulate science for political ends and threaten our domestic energy production and our economy in the process.”

But wait, there’s more: Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is putting his hat in the ring for the chairmanship of the House Science Committee, two years after he last made a run for the spot. The California Republican and climate change skeptic has "actively expressed his intention" to succeed term-limited Chairman Ralph Hall, a spokeswoman said. Rohrabacher will face off against former Science Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner, who is looking to retake the gavel. Term-limited House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith of Texas is also likely to make a move for the leadership spot on Science.

CABINET CHANGES COMING: There’s a very good chance that Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and EPA chief Lisa Jackson are on their way out the door ahead of a second Obama term — so who are the top names to step in at the top energy posts? Candidates for Interior include the current deputy, David Hayes, or a list of Westerners, including former North Dakota Sen. Byron Dorgan or soon-to-be former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire. DOE names floated include former DOE official Cathy Zoi, Lewis Hay of NextEra Energy and Jim Rogers, the head of Duke Energy. And at EPA deputy Bob Perciasepe and air chief Gina McCarthy are among those mentioned to potentially take the reigns. POLITICO’s Edward-Isaac Dovere runs it down for the whole Cabinet: http://politi.co/Z1rGDb

WHO WILL TAKE OVER FROM STEARNS? Energy and Commerce already had its biggest shakeup of the year in August, when oversight subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) lost in an upset in the primary to large-animal veterinarian Ted Yoho. Yoho won the general election for that district Tuesday. As oversight chairman, Stearns held high-profile inquiries on Solyndra, Planned Parenthood and LightSquared. The inquiries helped fuel much campaign rhetoric, with Republicans attacking the Obama administration’s green energy agenda while Democrats alleged that the GOP was waging a “war against women.”

Several Republicans could be in the running to succeed Stearns in the oversight helm and generate headlines of their own. Observers pointed to Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) — who survived his own tight 2-point reelection win Tuesday — or Environment and the Economy Subcommittee Chairman John Shimkus (R-Ill.). One Republican strategist told POLITICO that Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has “the inside track.” Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), a physician who tends to focus on health care issues, could also be a contender.

COAL IN HIS STOCKING: Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead isn’t happy with Obama’s reelection — and it has a lot to do with coal. “I don't think the current administration has a full appreciation of what the value of affordable American energy is to the economy,” Mean said Wednesday. “The fact is, it's a fuel source that allows us to produce electricity at a very competitive rate… That is not only good for manufacturing within this country, and the jobs that are attached to it, but also it helps keep us globally competitive when a major cost driver for industry is energy costs.” AP: http://bit.ly/WCPiAH

THAT WAS FAST: House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton isn’t resting on his laurels. In a filing with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, the Michigan Republican identified his “Upton For All of Us” committee as his principle campaign committee for the 2014 election — a first step in running for reelection.

NOR’EASTER NEWS: An update via the AP: “A nor'easter blustered into New York and New Jersey on Wednesday with rain and wet snow, plunging homes right back into darkness, stopping commuter trains again and inflicting another round of misery on thousands of people still reeling from Superstorm Sandy's blow more than a week ago. Under ordinary circumstances, a storm of this sort wouldn't be a big deal, but large swaths of the landscape were still an open wound, with the electrical system highly fragile and many of Sandy's victims still mucking out their homes and cars and shivering in the deepening cold.” AP: http://fxn.ws/Ujebjo

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: The safe and responsible development of natural gas supports more than 2.8 million American jobs. Curious what the economic benefits are for your state? Find out by using our interactive U.S. map at www.anga.us/jobs. **

FORMER EPA CHIEFS WEIGH IN: George W. Bush-era EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman and Bill Clinton-era EPA chief Carol Browner take to The New York Times to talk environmental goals for Obama’s second term.

Whitman says cap and trade should be on the table: “It is my hope that my Republican colleagues will see the wisdom of a market-based system for funding a public good — all very much Republican principles. We must be willing to have open and honest discussions about the need to reduce emissions, about what reasonable caps look like and about the effort it would take to achieve necessary changes.” http://nyti.ms/WCyNVl

Browner likes using executive authority and calls for federal fracking regulations: “Why not develop one set of national requirements based on the best available science and technology and leave the oversight and enforcement up to the states? Pollution doesn’t recognize state boundaries — a weak requirement in one state could have an impact on drinking water in another.” http://nyti.ms/Xlh2cc

REID ON CLIMATE CHANGE: ‘WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING’: “I've spent a lot of my career creating wilderness in Nevada and doing things that I think are environmentally important, climate change is an extremely important issue for me and I hope we can address it reasonably,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said at a Capitol news conference Wednesday. “It's something, as we've seen with these storms that are overwhelming our country and the world, we need to do something about it.”

FTC DROPS ALASKA NATURAL GAS INVESTIGATION: The Federal Trade Commission has terminated an investigation into a plan for Hilcorp Alaska to buy natural gas production, storage and pipeline assets owned by Marathon Alaska in Cook Inlet. The commission had raised competitive concerns because Hilcorp, Marathon and ConocoPhillips produce almost all of the natural gas in the region and, following the purchase, Hilcorp would own all the of the natural gas storage in south-central Alaska.

So why is the FTC dropping it? The Alaska Department of Natural Resources asked the commission not to challenge the merger on the grounds that it will boost energy security and avoid brownouts caused by supply shortages. “In these unique circumstances, where the effects of the proposed acquisition are confined to consumers in Alaska, the state has concluded that the consent agreement substantially allays the potential competitive concerns arising from the proposed transaction, and the state has concluded that the transaction will mitigate energy security concerns, the Commission has decided to exercise its prosecutorial discretion and defer to the state’s resolution of this matter,” the FTC said in a statement: http://1.usa.gov/VF37x6

SPEAKING OF ALASKA: The Bureau of Land Management pulled in $898,900 from a lease sale Wednesday of 14 tracts on 160,088 acres of land in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. The highest bid was $74,100 for a tract, about $6.51 per acre, and was offered by Woodstone Resources, LLC.

QUICK HITS

— The Colorado Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday over a water district seeking to store massive amounts of river water for the use of oil and gas companies. Denver Post: http://bit.ly/XlzRMf

— A federal judge has to decide which Gulf Coast residents seeking to opt out of a class action settlement are allowed to do so. Fuel Fix: http://bit.ly/Su2TmC

** A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: We believe in a clean energy future. Natural gas is a cleaner energy choice and a key partner to solar and wind technologies. From California to Florida, natural gas facilities are working with renewable energy to ensure steady, affordable and cleaner energy choices for communities across our nation. Because it is an abundant and affordable energy source available right here in America, natural gas can help make the promise of cleaner energy a reality in more American communities. Natural gas is smarter power today. Visit anga.us to learn more. **

** A message from Vet Voice Foundation: Tens of thousands of service members and veterans rely on public lands to hunt, fish, camp and heal from the wounds of war. These lands are part of the American heritage we fought for. As a new President and Congress look to rebuild America's infrastructure, we call on them to make an equal investment in maintaining our public lands and parks for our service members and all Americans. Support for our veterans must extend to investing in and protecting America’s natural heritage, for our children and grandchildren. www.VetVoiceFoundation.org **

Authors:

About The Author

Alex Guillén is an energy reporter for POLITICO Pro, where he covers EPA, regulations and coal, as well as lobbying and campaign finance in the energy realm. He previously wrote the Morning Energy newsletter. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., with a degree in anthropology and English. He is an avid reader and TV binger. The Delawarean, thrilled that there are finally Capriotti’s outposts in Washington, lives in Alexandria, Va.